Author: Stephen Meuse

I must have been shifting cases in the deepest, darkest recesses of the Formaggio wine cellar when Isabelle Legeron, Master of Wine (who also chooses to be known as That Crazy … Faulty . . . or Just Alt-y?Read more

Real journalism isn’t created in newsrooms, but in the places where news actually happens. That’s why from time to time your intrepid correspondent dons trench coat and fedora and leaves the confines … Wine God SaysRead more

The golden age of Dutch art coincided with that nation’s high water mark as a commercial powerhouse.  In the first half of the seventeenth century, its merchant navy dwarfed England’s. The … When Wine Went DutchRead more

You have a nose and so do we. Some have more nose than others:  Cyrano (permanently, above) and Pinocchio (episodically, not shown) come to mind.  Wine also has a nose — at … Big NosesRead more

It is a curious yet widely unremarked-upon thing that the world of wine is considered to exist entirely in the physical spaces where vines grow, fruit is harvested and wine is … <span class="entry-title-primary">All in Your Head?</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Wine may be less tangible than you think</span>Read more

It’s only four letters, and not likely to make any sixth grader slap his forehead in frustration. But not all spelling challenges involve bees, Scrabble games, or even letters. Musicians are … Spell CheckRead more

Importer Kermit Lynch was one of the first Americans to tramp the backroads of France’s wine country, knocking on doors and tasting in cellars that had never admitted an outsider before. … Kermit Lynch, Père Loyau and <br>Supper with a PrinceRead more

  Wine is attended by a surprising amount of ritual. For some, the traditional gestures of service are a comforting reminder that they are participants in an age-old liturgy. For others, … Say It T’aint SoRead more

The sketch at left is a bit of graffiti scratched by a 1st century Roman who may have been keen to have some fun caricaturing then Emperor Nero – as some … <span class="entry-title-primary">A Drink from the Sea</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">How not to drink like a barbarian</span>Read more

It’s a provocative question but not a facetious one. The thought came to me while having lunch recently with an old friend (now in his eighties) who groused “that not enough … <span class="entry-title-primary">“Arf!” Went the Cabernet</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">How winemaking resembles dog breeding</span>Read more

There’s plenty of disagreement about what’s mainly responsible for the expression of individual character in wine, but right now, if you had to bet, you’d be wise to put your money … <span class="entry-title-primary">Dirt’s Day in the Sun</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">What's behind our obsession with vineyard soils?</span>Read more

Though it’s widely assumed that the juice of red grapes is red, and that of white grapes runs clear, in fact, with rare exception, nearly all wine grapes express juice that … <span class="entry-title-primary">You Gotta Have Skin</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">It's what keeps your insides in</span>Read more